Sitting in front of Domino's highest ranking military advisors would make a lesser man nervous. But Rigel Bismarck had something to prove, and he wasn't entirely a man anyway. After General Tamar had had sufficient time to recover from his efforts in the field, he, Captain Delsin, Admiral Emago, and various other senior staff members gathered in the audience chamber where Bismarck would make his presentation. With a discipline that would put to shame many lesser officers, Bismarck simply sat and waited for his chance to speak. When it came, he was fully prepared.
Rigel smiled at the assembled as he stood. "I must admit, I'm very honored to be the company of those who've proven themselves time and time again in battle. And now, I will prove myself." Tapping a button on the holotable, Bismarck began.
The planet that came into view was not overly impressive, but it had several key features of note. "Ord Pardron. Major protective body of the Defluvian sector. Center of Rebel activity for the area. The base here was hit in the assault by Thrawn about a decade ago. With the confusion at Bilbringi, however, they were able to rebuild while our forces paused and strengthened themselves. Until several weeks ago, it was quite strong. It had 10 MC-90 cruisers and 18 MC-80s for protection. The ground units included several divisions of troops, and two entire ground based wings of starfighters. Then, I finished my current task and requested two things; a transfer into Lord de Devastator's forces and the task of handling Ord Pardron."
Walking closer to the holotable, Bismarck picked up a metal pointing rod and centered it on the large amount of ships in orbit. "I requested assistance from a man whom I went to the Academy with, Admiral Fergusson. His forces number 8 Imperial and 12 Victory Class Destroyers. The battle went as follows: Several of his ships performed an assault on the ships in orbit with the assistance of my Interdictor Cruisers." A record of the battle began to play; obviously shortened considerably and only showing the main points. "In his initial strike, Fergusson eliminated 4 MC-90s and an equal number of MC-80s using only his eight Imperials. Two of them were destroyed and one appeared to be badly damaged."
Bismarck smiled, glancing at each of the men at the table, his eyes resting last on Domino. "This was, in fact, a ruse of my design. The Imperial attempted to 'flee' the scene, and when several of the defending cruisers attempted to engage them, the remainder of our forces used the Interdictors it 'happened' to be near for calculated surgical strikes. The enemy was caught off guard and lost several ships to our combined assault."
"While this was happening in space, two of my Victories had snuck in nightside and released their fighters, including my elite Blackhawk squadron. The 48 TIE Bombers, 12 TIE Interceptors, and 12 TIE Advanceds performed several duties. They destroyed the main communications array at the ground installation first. After that, they proceeded to destroy the main hangar bays where the ground based starfighters were, and then they hit the barracks. Without the communications array, the base was unable to send word to lower the planetary shield generators so that help could come in from above, thus giving those starfighters a relatively free hand, as well as the main troop barracks. Mind you, I say relatively because the defense cannons took out several of my Interceptors and the starfighters they did manage to launch managed to hit my bombers rather hard. It was in this battle that I lost the fifth pilot of Blackhawk, Eritti Valori."
"But that, as I say, was several weeks ago." Bismarck pressed a second button on the console. "You're all acquainted with the Bilbringi shipyards. They have sent a starfighter supply convoy to Ord Pardron to rebuild the base's defenses. They've also recently received a weapons shipment from a captured ship sent out by the Balmorrans and reinforcement troops from various sources. Nonetheless, in my professional opinion they cannot withstand a full assault on their forces by my ships. These are the current defense figures," Bismarck said, handing datapads out to each person at the table and also displaying the figures holographically.
"I'd beg to differ." General Tamar put in. "Your task force numbers 21 ships, only one Imperial-Class among them with the rest being class C size. You're proposing to send them against a force of about 10 Class D ships. However clever you think you are, it seems to me that the addition of at least two to three more Imperial-Classes to even the odds." Bismarck raised his hand. He looked at Tamar with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, General Tamar. But the major factor involved is time. My task force will fare quite well against half their number, taking moderate to minimal damage while possibly capturing the opposing forces." At this point Captain Delsin chimed in. "Another ruse, Admiral Bismarck?"
Bismarck nodded. "Yes. Recently, I've leaked the travel details of the starfighter supply convoy to a group of mercenaries known as the Fahlwan's Freefighters. They have agreed to attempt to capture some of the starfighter complement of three Nebulon B Frigates in the convoy. I'm fairly sure they can keep this quiet enough so that the Rebels will not suspect anything is wrong right away. This will give me time to simulate a distress call once all my forces are in place. As the convoy will be close to Ord Pardron, they will undoubtedly send capital ship assistance. They will not leave the base unguarded, but they will send out at least a sizeable force if I give them the right numbers of attacking units. My task force will then trap and capture them, then move on to assault the planet itself. The Scythe's planetary assault force has already been mobilized. I will deploy to the surface these units." He stated, more figures scrolling in front of the vision of each of the participants.
Delsin glanced at the figures, then looked at Bismarck. "You're proposing to assault the base with only AT-ATs and AT-STs? No troops, Admiral?" "On the contrary, Captain. The troops are already on the planet. The troop reinforcements I mentioned earlier were captured a few days ago, and a different carrier with troops from the Scythe went in it's place." Delsin nodded. "It may work. With the combined element of surprise and location, your ground troops may be able to eliminate most of the resistance in the base before it can become resistance." Bismarck smiled at Delsin and shook his head. "The resistance will be minimalized. Already, my troops are performing selected attacks, eliminating guards and officers and slipping themselves into key places. When the time comes, the base will be taken before it has a chance to resist." Delsin looked at Bismarck, his insight again coming into play. "What plans do you have to prevent the troops at the base from acting?"
"My final surprise. We've suspected Balmorra has had dealings with the Rebels for quite some time. As such, the shipment of weapons from Balmorra to Ord Pardron was investigated. It was learned in secret that the Captain was planning to hand the weapons over to the Rebellion, so the shipment has been sabotaged. The troop issue blaster rifles the ship was carrying were 'altered' during their packing and shipping. A detonation signal will cause the power packs in the rifles to overload and detonate. My troops have their own weaponry and so will not be affected by the sabotage. They've all been warned not to touch anything but their assigned arms until this is all over. I expect some will, of course, but the casualties due to this will be minimalized." Tamar eyed Bismarck. "You've planned this out rather well." Bismarck smiled. "I have indeed. If you'll notice, the planetary defense emplacements were left intact. The surface-to-space turbolasers and Defender Ion Cannons are all in working order, as is the shield generator. Among my forces in place are people trained in the workings of these devices. The ships at Ord Pardron will come under assault from their own weaponry. That way, if reinforcements should somehow happen to arrive, then we will still have the edge."
Bismarck switched off the display. "I know I mentioned the recapture of Bilbringi to you, Lord Domino, however I will not discuss my plans in that area at this time, due in part to the fact that I wish for the Ord Pardron engagement to be pulled off before anything occurs in the way of an assault there. Now," Bismarck looked among the assembled military men, all of whom he knew to admire and respect and hoped would find the same of him. "Please find the flaws in this plan so that they may be corrected before it's enactment. If there's one thing I dislike, it's sloppy work."
The men and ships of Fahlwan's Freefighters lay waiting a mere twelve hours from
Ord Pardron. The destination of the convoy they had been hired to capture. Colonel Fahlwan strode onto the bridge of Fahlwan's Pride. "Captain is the fleet in position?"
"Yes Colonel, all ships report ready." Captain Thorne glanced at the battle clock, "Ten minutes until we engage them Sir."
Colonel Fahlwan looked
thoughtful, "What about that mercenary, Captain Keller? I want you to verify that he understands that his ship,
The Deathtoll is to assist the Corvette Vengeance. Once Vengeance's
target is immobilized I want him to assist Manticore squadron with the rebel fighters."
"I'll see to it right away Sir."
"Excellent Thorne,
excellent, I have a feeling this will be a most profitable endeavor."
#####
Tayne
was glad to be in open space again. Even though Victory Star Destroyers were huge, the docking bay was
beginning to seem confining to him. 'Hmmm..I think I'll do just one more systems check before this thing goes live.' thought
Tayne. Just then his com unit chimed.
"Captain Keller, the Colonel has requested that I verify your orders. He wants you to assist the
Vengeance, then, once her target is inoperable, join Manticore squadron and engage any rebel fighters that are able to launch."
'Well, the Colonel doesn't send just anyone,
that's his top officer if I'm not mistaken.' " How can I tell which fighter group is Manticore squadron?"
"Manticore squadron can be easily identified by
their dark blue and red stripes and fanciful creatures painted on their X-wings."
"O.K.
Keller out."
Specter's ship was very ready for battle. His sensor scramblers were functioning perfectly, and his engines were good to go. His weapons also checked out. He'd put himself in position to slip into the cargo bay, steal the goods, hit some of the more critical systems from inside, then be gone before anyone noticed.
Admiral Emago sat through the presentation. He was apparently satisfied with everything he saw and heard. 'Though planning has never been my strongest point. I certainly cannot dig through this plan of Bismarck's to discover errors. That I will leave for Delsin and Tamar.'
Emago continued to watch and listen until he heard Admiral Rigel Bismarck conclude his presentation.
"Please find the flaws in this plan so that they may be corrected before it's enactment. If there's one thing I dislike, it's sloppy work."
Admiral Emago was the first to speak. "Admiral Bismarck, I must commend you on your previous actions against Ord Pardron, and your current plans to vanquish the rebels there."
Domino sat watching as his trusted advisors and officers considered Bismarck's plans. Domino considered those plans himself, but one aspect of those plans drew more of his attention than anything else. 'Tamar may mention it, so I'll simply wait.'
Captain Tjern Delsin reached out for the cup in front of him. Delsin studied the plans for several minutes, just holding the cup in front of him, then he took a sip looking around the room. When he met eyes with Bismarck, he simply smiled, nodded, and set his cup down. Then he continued to study the admiral's plans.
General Tamar felt the smirk cross his face, then extinguished it just as quickly. He respected Captain Delsin and knew him to be his superior when it came to tactics, but he experienced no small amount of amusement when he saw the captain thinking. 'He always has that intensity that could be considered
spooky. It's funny.'
Finally, Tamar spoke, "As you all know, I do know a little about ship to ship engagements, but I cut my teeth in Ground battles. Your plan is fairly sound, but you want us to pint out any flaws we can think of. I'll tell you what I don't like," he paused for a drink of water. "You have troops there already, and if I have understood you correctly, they have already begun to eliminate guards and other troops at the rebel facility. Is this correct?"
General Tamar looked at the datapad before him one more time. "Your men went in posing as rebel reinforcements. If they are already killing rebels, however secretive they are about it, then they are alerting the rebel commanders there that something is wrong. This may have caused some dismay in the rebel camp, but I hardly see that as wise and sound. If your men are performing selected attacks, eliminating guards and officers, then I would imagine that your men have already been discovered and eliminated themselves."
"Very good General," Delsin added. "I figured that since planetside warfare is your
forte I would let you point that out. I feel that sending those men in with orders to begin attacks, assassinating and causing confusion is a nice way to begin, if our forces are already staged and ready to attack, but your ships are still here in the Nerakan Sector."
Delsin reached for his cup again and took a small sip. "All is not lost however. As I pointed out before, the attacking force has no ground troops, just AT-ATs and AT-STs. Send a platoon of troops in with them to assure your ground victory. Better to overkill than to undercook."
Domino could see that Bismarck had held something back from his presentation, and he could see from the smile that crossed the admiral's lips that his men had not yet begun to make their calculated strikes as he had said before. 'Yes, Rigel, your plans are sound and well thought out. You and your taskforce shall receive my full political and military support.'
The Dark Lord stretched out his arms and lifted the pitcher of water from in front of Captain Delsin using the Force. He brought the pitcher to him and grabbed it and poured the water. "Admiral Bismarck, I like your plans, and although I agree with the general and the captain, I also believe you know what you are trying to accomplish. With the addition of Captain Delsin's suggestion of a platoon of troops, merely to back up the existing troops already on
Ord Pardron, I give you my full support of this plan."
Bismarck stood and bowed to Domino. "Thank you, my Lord."
"Yes, you're welcome," Domino said, almost dismissively. "Only one thing troubles me in all of this; Fahlwan's Freefighters. I have a man in that group, a captain who has served both me and Colonel Fahlwan in different capacities. When Fahlwan broke off ties with the Imperial Navy, my man was able to get word to me. I have been watching this group for a while now, since they left the Empire. Though initially I thought to hunt them down and punish Fahlwan, I have decided that there may be uses for one such as he."
The admiral stood to his full height and stifled a smile. "I am afraid I do not see why you are concerned with this, Lord de Devastator, given that you are aware of this group and that you have determined there could be uses for this man."
Domino chuckled. "Yes, I do tend to trail off at times. Simply put, Admiral Bismarck, the colonel's record shows both distinction in service and a slight disregard for authority. That led to him leaving the Navy. He is not to be trusted. He will take your credits and anything else that he can."
"With all due respect, my Lord," Bismarck nodded, "I extend my trust to no one all to easily. This Colonel Fahlwan suits my purposes at this time, but I would just as soon crush him and his defiant little band as utilize him. I have a special agent working in secrecy with this situation right now. I won't be betrayed by the mercenary, because he won't have anything to betray me with."
Bismarck drank some water himself, then looked into Domino's eyes. 'I must remember not to look into his eyes too often. Very unnerving, indeed.' The admiral took a deep breath. "I suspect there is another question on your mind, Lord de Devastator. What is it?"
Domino stood from his seat and paced around the table slowly, then came back to his seat and stood behind it. Raising his hands so that the open palms faced each other. He stared directly into Bismarck's eyes and transfixed the officer with his stare as lightning coursed from palm to palm, fingertip to fingertip. "Sith Lords are incredibly unpredictable at times. Oh, they can be outwitted certainly, but they are as flighty and fickle as a wild nerf and as vicious as a vornskr. When you sent your initial contact to me a week ago, you mentioned that you would like the use of a Sith Lord. I have the perfect servant in mind, but I must know if you realize what you are asking for. There are some things that may have to change in order for me to entrust you with one of my valued servants."
The admiral only sat and listened. 'I wondered if he remembered me asking about that. Perhaps I figured that my recent contact with Kethren Trynyty had given him reason to think I wouldn't want such a request fulfilled.'
Domino continued, giving no indication that he knew what Bismarck was thinking (he doesn't, he's just guessing). "Kethren Trynyty is a rare Sith Lord, in that he does not answer to Emperor Palpatine on a regular basis and the Emperor has no problems with this. If you should choose to work with him you may find him attempting to usurp your authority. If he were to succeed I would have no recourse but to interfere as
expediently as possible." The Dark Lord sat down once again. "As I stated before, I have just the Sith Lord in mind. I will, however, be severely displeased if they are made to suffer from being in the presence of your ysalamiri. If I hear of such a thing I will have my servant brought back to me."
"Another thing, regarding a Sith Lord. They will be under your command, but anything I ask of them becomes priority."
Domino smiled at the admiral. "Is this acceptable? Do you still wish for me to provide you with a Sith Lord?"<
Dez stood up as a crewer counted off the last seconds and Constrainer powered up her gravity well generators. Trailing bits of light the first ship was yanked out of hyperspace, followed shortly by the rest of the convoy. Dez watched his battle screen as the first ship came out. 'A Nebulon B,....' Dez counted, 'two, three...there's the MC80' "Captain Thorne begin the assault. Concentrate all weapons on that MC80, get the boarding crews ready, I want it intact!"
"Very good sir, all teams report ready and green."
#####
Meanwhile the Corvettes Intrepid, and Vengeance accompanied by Deathtoll began their assault on their assigned Nebulon B frigate. Tayne sat at his command console and thought, 'Well, here I go.'
#####
"Manticore squadron we have green status and a go on our attack run. Target shields and launch bays. And boys watch your backs this is gonna be hairy." While all the rest of the squadron replied with a curt affirmative Manticore six replied, "This might be tough, but I'll place ten credits on it that this is nothin' like what the Colonel put us through to get in!" "You're on six, and let's keep talk to a bare minimum from now on, right?" replied Manticore Leader. "Aye Sir!" Came the replies from twelve ships.
The Admiral sat back, coolly regarding Domino for a moment. So far, my plans have gone well. Next time, I will try a slightly different approach to my main worry, but for now this suits. "Yes, my Lord," he said aloud. "I have pondered the matter and have come to several conclusions. First, if Trynyty intends to use me to get what he wants then I must have a bargaining chip that he cannot refuse. Second, I must have a backup that will be able to be played if necessary, such as a Sith Lord. And third, I need a general defense against Force intrusion. While ysalamiri do serve this purpose quite adequately, I was only ever able to get my hands on 50 at most, and that number has been reduced to 33 over time. I wish I had more, but I don't. Therefore, if my men are to have adequate protection, someone else who can wield the Force and who is more loyal to the current cause than Trynyty apparently is is required. So to answer your question, Lord Domino, yes, I fully request said Sith Lord." Bismarck grinned. "Perhaps they and I can haggle over the finer points of torture and intimidation. I am limited to conventional methods, but those who use the Force have a tendency to be much more... creative, shall we say, in these matters."
Domino nodded at Bismarck, his eyes smiling slightly although his face was serious. "Yes... yes indeed. But you take responsibility for the stipulations I have mentioned?" Bismarck nodded respectfully. "Of course, my Lord. I will personally insure their comfort. It goes without saying that I will not fail in this obligation more than once or twice over time. One must expect errors or lapses as time passes by."
A frown crossed Domino's face. "Don't let it happen often, Rigel. Once or twice I may understand and forgive, but deliberate mistreatment or excessive forgetfulness I will not stand for. Is that clear?"
Bismarck studied Domino for a moment, then nodded. "As clear as the buildings of the Crystal City of Berchest, my Lord."
"Good. Now, let us refresh ourselves and prepare for the upcoming military action."
#####
"A moment, General Tamar. May I have a word with you?" Tamar spun around, seeing that it was Admiral Bismarck talking to him in the hallway. "Oh, Admiral. Ahh... what do you want?"
Bismarck smiled. It was a chilling smile accentuated by the ever so slight muscular alterations he was making to it and the miniscule unhinging he made of his lower jaw. "Your points were well made, General. However, may I be the first to point out that if a man dies of food poisoning or an accidental explosion, is he not dead?"
Tamar blinked. "Yes, what of it?" "And may I also point out that if a being dies in such a manner, how many suspect foul play?"
"None, of course," Tamar replied and then suddenly the point the Admiral was driving home clicked into place. "Oh..." Bismarck nodded again. "And if I may ask, General... if one is to perform these specialized attacks, one must wait for the right opportunity to present oneself, correct?"
Tamar was beginning to get annoyed, not to mention slightly nervous looking at Bismarck's face. He'd never seen Domino's entire face play tricks on him, just the eyes. What is it about this man's face that bothers me so? "I see your point General... I mean Admiral," he snapped. "I'll thank you not to make a fool out of me in public." "Despite the fact that we are speaking in public, General, no one is paying attention to our conversation. Private meetings suit my needs and my style much more than public humiliation, although I am not out to humiliate you. Perhaps we could meet a little later and talk strategy? Although I am acquainted with all the information I need to conquer planets, specialization in various areas is always welcome."
Tamar was taken aback slightly, then he nodded. "Yes, perhaps an exchange of ideas would prove beneficial." Rigel nodded and smiled, less chillingly than before. "Indeed. Thank you for your time, General. Good day," he said and, bowing, went over to speak with Captain Delsin about the troop reinforcements he was to receive. Tamar noted this and watched before heading off. Those two ought to get along well... they think too much alike.
The moment the MC-80 was brought out of hyperspace, Specter's YT-2400 shot towards the nearest docking bay, heavy laser cannons blazing. When the MC realized it's predicament and proceeded to launch fighters, Specter was ready, flying right in the vicinity of one of the launch bays.
Waiting until he felt it would be just the right moment, Specter fired an advanced concussion missile into the bay, then moved off. His timing was perfect. Just as the particle shields around the bay came down to launch the fighters, the missile slipped through and impacted inside. He flew into the bay and fired the laser cannons some more, taking out various techs and pilots before they could get to their machines. Once the bay was clear, Specter used one of the undamaged holding clasps in the bay to keep his freighter in place. Moving over to one of the bay computers, he first downloaded a map of the ship. Then, he slipped in a disk that would simulate the readings of a hull breach in the bay until he didn't need it, then ran for the door. He dove through just as it sealed off the bay. All right... 224-41-B... that's where I need to be. But first... a little side trip.
Quickly, Specter headed for the environmental control area, pausing to kill a man and take his uniform first, as well as remove the telltale outerspace combat suit and breathing mask he'd been wearing.
Bel Iblis, General Tashannoc, and Major Hendrickson were sitting around a table in an empty conference room. Hendrickson passed out a hard copy of a transmission that, due to
hyper relay problems, had been delayed in getting to Kashyyyk and had only just arrived in the past hour. "Read over this," the Major said, "and tell me what you think."
Tashannoc read the message. It described an attack that had occurred a week before. The base had called for reinforcements for their ground troops. A few men off duty had apparently found their friends names on the roster of incoming troops, and had gone to meet the transports when they came in. They were
surprised to discover that those who showed up were instead imposters. The men were arrested at once, and interrogation had brought out that their orders were to assassinate the ground forces on
Ord Pardron. The base commander wrote that he hadn't yet gotten much else out of the men. He thought that the depletion of the ground forces as well as the fleet protecting the planet made it look like an Imperial attack was imminent.
When it was obvious that they were all done reading, Tashannoc commented through his translator. "This doesn't look good."
"No it doesn't," Hendrickson said. "I've called off the
assault on Jarkov for the moment. We still have operatives keeping an eye on him, but I expect that it will have to wait. We cannot afford to lose
Ord Pardron. Some ships have already been deployed from Mon Calamari, but they'll take a while. We have some especially fast troop transports en route to beef up the ground forces."
Bel Iblis broke in. "My ships can leave within the hour. If you'll excuse me." Bel Iblis got up to leave and get going for
Ord Pardron as soon as was humanly possible.
"I think we should all follow suit. I have some assets in that sector. I can have fifteen disks there within six hours. General, do you mind if I tag along with you?"
"Not at all, General. I'll have room made for the Thunder in one of the bays."
Tashannoc turned to Lance. "Anything else?"
"Nope. I'll make sure that
everyone on the base knows that volunteers are welcome, as long as they're ready to go within the hour."
The launch order came in and Tayne Keller in his ship Deathtoll, took off. He pulled up beside the Corellian Corvette Vengeance. The three Nebulon B-frigates and the MC-80 were all there.
"Keller, fire some torpedoes at the frigate. Maybe weaken the shields. Well get her with our ion cannons and our lasers after the shields are out," the captain of the Vengeance said. "Acknowledged."
Tayne switched to torpedoes and waited for the targeting computer screen to turn red. It did, and at the same time ion cannon shots started coming from the Vengeance. The frigate started shooting back but to no avail because of the fast speed of Tayne's YT-1300 and the Corellian Corvette.
He fired his torpedoes. They streaked towards the ship. The ship's shields were already buckling under laser fire when his torpedoes hit the shields. The lasers and ion cannons finished the job. The shields were down.
Tayne flew closely beside the frigate blasting the hull and laser cannons apart. The Vengeance was still shooting ion cannon shots at the bigger ship. He saw the Corvette Intrepid join in on the firing.
As Tayne shot around the ship he saw 2 fighters come out of the hanger bay. Well, let's take care of this then, Tayne thought. Tayne armed 2 torpedoes and aimed at the hanger bay.
Tayne pulled the trigger. The 2 torpedoes shot out and hit the hanger bay. Fighter fuel tanks exploded. The ship shook and lay limp. The two Corellian Corvettes continued to fire ion cannons at the ship and then stopped.
"Tayne, good job. She's out of the fight, "the captain of the Vengeance said. "Thanks, sir."
Tayne turned the Deathtoll around going to find some fighters to take out.
Sammy sat in the cockpit of the Cat reading over some specs the hairy general had sent him. "Hoo boy, too bad he doesn't have any spare launchers around. It's been days since anything has happened, and these new babies could sure come in handy if we're gonna attack that Jarkov maniac."
Sammy sipped a mug of brew Neb brought him. "Mmm, too bad Jeffy got promoted. Now he won't have as much time to brew. S'good stuff!" He was in the middle of another swig when the call came over the base intercom.
~Attention all
personnel. This is Major Hendrikson. We have received signs that the imperials are planning an attack on our base at
Ord Pardron. I'm sure all of you understand the importance of keeping Ord Pardron
under our control. Therefore, I have called off our attack against Jarkov, for now. Reinforcements to
Ord Pardron are being planned. There will be a short briefing in 10 minutes for all
personnel willing to take part. You must be ready to leave within the hour.~
"Well, so much for just waiting around," Sammy thought as he set the specs aside. "Too bad indeed, woulda been even nicer against imps." Sammy left the Cat and walked toward the briefing room. "Time to get back on track."
On a remote planet in the outer rim, a man sat brooding. One of his subordinates approached him with a data card. "Sir, we have a report that the rebel base at
Ord Pardron will be under attack and that the rebels are on to it."
"Good, keep monitoring. You know what to look for."
"Yes sir."
The man, now alone again, continued to plan. "Yes, soon. Soon those that trifle with my friends will pay the price. The Armen Spec Forces commandos will be avenged. Rest easy Talos and Faust. Soon Mr. Gavin will feel the wraith of Owan
Tarkin..."
The Admiral sat in his guest chamber, thinking. Suddenly, he got two other ideas and went to contact Domino. After waiting for what seemed an extremely long amount of time, Rigel was allowed in to meet the Dark Lord of the Sith. He knelt with a "m'Lord", then rose when commanded.
Domino looked over Rigel, sensing his elation and self-confidence. "Greetings, Rigel. What is it you wish to speak with me about?" "I... had a thought, m'Lord. Two thoughts, actually. The first is that I'd like to be able to use 8 to 10 Imperial Star Destroyers for the Ord Pardron assault. They will help greatly in the initial phase of my plan." Domino paused. Ten Imperial Star Destroyers was not something given out often, and not to new players in his employ. "And the second?" "Assault Bilbringi immediately prior to or during Ord Pardron. They won't be expecting it, really. Bilbringi is still heavily defended, and a lightning strike on it would have a good chance of taking it down."
Domino paused while considering this. Then he stood up, and prepared to give Rigel his answer.
"Captain DeLumar. Did you bring Marr with you?" The desperation in Moff Glinn's voice was
unmistakable.
"Yes, I did. Why, is something wrong?"
"This channel isn't secure. I can't explain. Meet me in the designated area."
"Yes, sir." The conversation was terminated from the other end. "Dalon, did you get all that?"
From his ship, Marr responded. "Yeah, I did. You know where this 'designated area' is?"
"Yes, it's a place we set up in case the Rebels ever attacked so that he'd have an escape route. But there's no signs of any Rebel activity here."
"Karin, why don't you come on down to my ship, and we'll just head to the surface to pick up the Moff. If I'm not mistaken, he could use a hand about now."
Evan Mynoram groaned inwardly at the pounding on his door, wishing he could roll over, pull a pillow over his head, and ignore the urgent messenger. Finally, rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stumbled out of bed and pulled a pair of comfortable slacks on, stumping his toe on the way to the door. This had better be important, he thought grimly, opening the door. The messenger appeared to be one of the younger officers, probably offering to find Evan as a way to gain
favor among his superiors. His hair spoke that he too had just rolled out of bed and he looked wildly about him, probably expecting the
recipient of his message to ignore him, forcing him to report back to Kethren Evan's refusal.
"Master Trynyty is expecting you in his
quarters...NOW!" he spat out, flipping off a hasty salute and retreating to his quarters. Great, Evan thought sourly. He's probably the only person in the
galaxy who thinks better in the dead of night. He'll just have to wait for me, then. Evan knew better than to dally for very long. He quickly made himself a steaming cup of caf and set off barefoot down the hall.
Anyone that had been on the Night for more than several weeks knew it was no
surprise to see Evan dragging himself grimly toward the Master's chambers, clothed only in a pair of slacks, with a cup of caf in hand.
He reached the door and took a deep breath before activating the chimes. Jadrek opened the door, obviously glad there was someone else there at last. "You wanted to see me, Master Trynyty?" Evan asked, walking slowly to his usual chair
opposite Kethren's large, ornate desk, some relic from a bygone era. Kethren, like Evan, wore only a pair of loose black pants with an unbuttoned shirt pulled over his arms. Jadrek (thank the gods!) was the only one among them with the decency to wear a robe.
Kethren was gazing stoically from his window, obviously waiting for Jadrek's response on something. The older man glared at the floor stubbornly. "I don't see that it makes any difference...."
"Who was the message originally intended for, Jadrek? Who is Bismarck's original benefactor?"
"de Devastator."
This is getting productive real fast, Evan thought bitterly, sipping his drink.
Kethren rubbed his hands through his hair. "And why did you not tell me that originally, Jadrek?" Jadrek shrugged. "Domino
de Devastator, I haven't heard anything about him in years, Jadrek. That can't be good."
Evan frowned. "So who is this?"
"A Sith Master, extremely powerful, no someone to toy with in any circumstances."
"You could defeat him?"
"Hardly, Evan. Jadrek seemed to be under the opinion I could have though." Jadrek shrugged. "I wanted you for something else besides listening to me scold sense into Jadrek, Evan. It seems Bismarck did take one bit of bait offered him. There is bounty up, no
disintegrations for our quarry."
Evan smiled. "Good. Our plan seems to be going well?"
"Very well, even if Jadrek does insist on trying to spoil it. You may return to your
quarters, Evan. I just wished to share that with you and Jadrek and I have more we need to discuss."
You could have waited until morning, he thought, but knew better than to say anything. "Good night, Master," he said stepping from the room. Jadrek looked at him beseechingly. Evan ignored the look, the fat fool had brought one of Kethren's infamous temper tantrums on himself..
The obtuse form of Moff Glinn appeared in a clearing as the Rancor's Maw set down. Marr landed with the back of the ship towards Glinn, so there would be nothing to walk around, and he could keep an eye on the man in case his hunch was wrong. Karin questioningly picked up her blaster, and Marr nodded, then secured his helmet. He grabbed his force pike and blaster on his way out, securing them both where he could grab them at half a moments notice.
"Karin, I mean, Captain DeLumar, it's so good to see you! And you must be Dalon Marr! Sir, I must
apologize for my past behavior, but I was certain that you were behind my daughters death. But now you must help me! I'll do anything!"
"Aye, Ay'm sure that ye will. But first, perhaps ye could tell us, exactly what seems t'be troublin' ye, sar?"
"Oh, dear." Marr was just about ready to be sick, watching this display of spinelessness. "Well, it all started when my daughter died. I was distraught, so I asked the commander of the Garrison here to perform an investigation. Now, I should mention that Karin here has expressed doubts about General Motar, that's the garrison commander, but I didn't think anything of them. I've always found him to be such a nice chap, which is why I was so
suppressed when this happened."
"Just the facts, lad. Ay've nae all day."
"Of course, of course. Well, Motar came to me with the evidence that you were behind my daughter's death and suggested that I send Captain
DeLumar after you. As you can see, she's very good at what she does. Anyway, I was so engrossed in Karin's search, that imagine my surprise when just a few hours ago, some of Motar's men came after me! I was fortunate enough to escape, but I have no idea what has happened since then. You must help me, Mister Marr."
Marr stood silent for a moment. This all fit the information he'd purchased, but it could still be a trap. He dismissed that he was being trapped: if they had wanted him, he would have found himself surrounded by guards. Perhaps a trap for Karin, then? Marr dismissed that as well. He doubted that Glinn had the intelligence to be that good an actor. So Marr would just have to take things on face value.
As Glinn was just about frantic waiting for an answer, Marr finally gave him one. "Before Ay render ye any assistance, we'll need to discuss the subject of payment."
Not used to dealing with mercenaries himself, Glinn was taken aback. "Payment? I told you, just name it."
"Ay want a full pardon for any crimes Ay may be charged with from a date two weeks past all the way back to before the Clone Wars."
"Done. Now if you could just-"
"Ay was nae finished, lad. That's just for starters. Ay want all damage to m'ship, done by your fighters, lad, to be repaired, better than new. And Ay want one hundred thousand credits."
"ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND! Are you out of your mind!"
"Lad, Ay dinnae think ye have much of a choice." Marr could see that Karin was barely supressing a smile, perhaps a full laugh.
"Okay, you're right. One hundred thousand. I'll have to liquidate some of my holdings. It could take a couple of hours."
"That's nae a problem." Marr produced a slip of paper. "Here's a code that will grant ye very limited access to m'ship's computer. While Ay'm gone, ye can do yer liquidatin' and transfer the credits to this account." He pointed to another number on the paper. It'll take me a couple o'hours t'hike t'yer palace. Ay'll check my accounts before Ay do anything."
"Why hike? I have a speeder bike here that's sensor shielded." Glinn paused briefly, then something struck him. "And what exactly are you going to do?"
"Best ye don't know, lad." He turned to Karin. "Make sure he doesn't touch anything he isn't supposed to."
"Aye, Dalon. He'll nae touch a bloody thing," Karin replied in her best imitation of Marr's accent.
Glinn glanced between the two of them, just starting to understand what was going on. He shrugged, then allowed himself to be led onto Marr's ship.
Once the Moff was on board, Marr hit a couple of controls on his suit. The first raised the gangplank and sealed the ship. The second caused chameleon netting to cover his ship, blending in with the surroundings.
He glanced around at the surrounding forest, and was pleased with his luck: the
vegetation on this planet was colored in various hue's of reds: he should be able to blend in just fine.
He adjusted the sensors in his helmet to warn him of any danger, and made out into the forest, blaster in hand.
Night had fallen by the time Marr reached the outskirts of the palace. Marr was glad for the change, with everything cooling off after the heat of the day, his sensors had a much better chance of picking up any guards in the area. He crouched in the vegetation, watched a guard walk past. The guard slapped his arm to kill an insect, and cursed while he scratched a few other bites as he moved along. Marr was glad for the extra protection afforded by his suit.
Once the coast was clear, Marr slipped from his hiding spot, and dashed across the lawn as swiftly and silently as he could. He skirted the
perimeter alarm system, and worked over to the side entrance. At a power relay, he left an explosive with a five minute timer. Plenty of time to get past before it blew.
Near the entrance, he crouched in some ground cover. Three minutes. Four. Five. The relay exploded, and the compound came to life. Lights came on and flooded the area surrounding the palace. Marr's location was one of many still secure in shadow. Making the grounds pretty had also left a security risk. One guard was left at the entrance, which stood open after other troops had poured out of it to secure the area around the relay.
Marr considered his options. A blaster would be to obvious, explosives even more so. The guard at the door scratched an insect bite. Marr got an idea. Moments later, the guard slapped at another bite, then slumped against the wall. Marr dragged him into the bushes by his ankles, then slipped into the facility.
Gunther was a clever man. That was probably why he'd been placed in charge of the troops on board this MC-80. Of course, knowing the ship as he did he and his troops were able to get down to the cargo bay quickly, despite the lack of gravity on the ship. His men took up positions and waited, their magnetic boots keeping them on the floor. "Stun shots first." he said. "If we get resistance, switch to medium power. Let's take him alive."
######
Specter arrived at the cargo bay annoyed. He had kept getting off the turbolift on the wrong floors and that had slowed him down. He was nearing the bay when gravity suddenly came back on. They've regained control. This is a problem.
A blaster bolt whizzed past his head as he took a quick look into the next corridor. Specter knew he wouldn't hold down very well in a firefight against the guards who were there, but at current that was his only option. He chucked a grenade around the corner, then followed it up with a few random blaster shots to find out where the enemy was. There was something of a blockade around the bay door, with men at various sniping positions on the hallway. Something would be needed to break their concentration. Something like...
Quickly, Specter looked at the lights overhead. He raised his blaster pistol and fired at the power cord connecting the lights. They promptly went out amid a shower of sparks causing Specter to duck reflexively. Quickly, Specter stepped out of concealment and chucked his last two grenades at where he knew the blockade was, then began firing at where he'd last seen the enemy, thanking his lucky stars that the lights were out.
When the lights came back on not ten seconds later it took him completely by surprise. Specter looked up at the lights, suddenly remembering what kind of ship he was on. Curse these Mon Cals and their blasted redundancies! he thought and dived for the corner. A well aimed pair of shots hit him in both the leg and the torso, though, so he was bleeding as he got to safety. Great he thought bitterly. Now what?
Colonel Fahlwan sat observing the battle's progress from his command chair. An ensign called out from his station, "Sir, our sensors indicate that the MC80 briefly lost her gravity generators."
Colonel Fahlwan looked startled, "That can't be from
our attack, send the Tac data to my screen for two minutes prior to two after the gravity generator shut down."
"Aye Sir."
Dez carefully
scrutinized the data trying to make out what had happened. The malfunction was clearly internal, possibly sabotage, possibly due to battle stress. "Captain Thorne, Step up our attack against that Mon Cal Cruiser, and have our assault teams begin
their operations. Once the assault teams are aboard send Virulence to assist Constrainer.
"Immediately Sir."
"What is the status of the third Nebulon?"
"She's racing for an escape route sir. Shall I have Intrepid intercept?"
"Detail the TIE's to join the pursuit also Captain." Dez leaned back content that the battle was progressing nicely.
"Here's an idea. You two head around the back corridor and you two head around the side corridor. The five of us will rush him from the front and drive him into you guys for a clear shot. Got it?" "Yes, sir." Gunther nodded to himself, then realized his comm was beeping. "Hold up. Drat! Red alert," he groaned. "We've got boarders. Quick change of plans: you five stay here and try and capture him. The rest of us need to defend the ship."
#####
After some quick first aid to his torso and leg, Specter's mind began to race. Getting to the actual bay doors was going to be next to impossible, so that meant finding an alternative route. Except that there aren't any. Which means I have to make one.
Specter mentally ran over what he still had on him. Two thermals, makeshift bandages and some adhesive, my blaster, that molecular stiletto, grappling hook, spare blaster pack... Well wait. That's all I need.
Taking out his molecular stiletto, Specter dived across the hall. Hmmm.. less blaster fire now. Wonder what that means. Specter thought as he took up position on the other side of the hall. Specter very carefully used the stiletto to cut a small hole in the wall. He then set his two thermals for 20 second timers and slipped them into the hole. After slapping some adhesive tape over the hole, he dove back across the open hall, getting shot in the upper chest and grunting with pain. Then, the wall of the bay erupted in a shower of sparks and shrapnel.
Using the quick cease fire, Specter dove into the bay. He ran to a locker and pulled out a space suit, then took cover behind some boxes while he put it on. Parcels 8-10.. he thought. That's what I want. Attaching his grappling hook to the goods, he tied them down to a nearby pipe that looked securely bolted down. Now to get my ship here.
Specter slipped into the control room for the bay amid blaster fire, although it was noticeably less now. After fiddling with the control panels for the bay for several minutes, he managed to bay shielding down, but was still unable to open the bay doors. "Work you stupid thing! You'd think the Rebels are working with some really primitive computers!" he bellowed and unloaded several shots into the panel.
The control panel responded in the predictable fashion, exploding and shorting out due to the damage. The bay doors slid open and the bay itself began to depressurize, sending the attacking Rebels flying out into the vacuum of space. The corridor outside the bay was automatically sealed off, but the damage was done. After pressing a button on his comlink, the computers on Specter's ship activated and the ship flew itself out of the bay where it was docked, blasting free of it's holding clamps with it's blaster cannons. Not long now, thought Specter and he sat and waited from the safety of the protected control room.
It took Specter's ship a few minutes to make it's way to the cargo bay. It paused in the open bay, then set itself down and lowered the loading ramp. The loading droid in Specter's ship loaded the three parcels he was interested in while Specter himself went inside the ship and attended to his injuries. Once the parcels were safely aboard, Specter went to the piloting compartment and activated the engines. So long, Rebel scum. Have fun without me. he thought and waved at the bay as he left it. His ship quickly made it's way to the edge of the battlefield, then circled around towards the Fahlwan's Pride. Then, he opened a channel to the ship.
"Attention, Colonel Dez Fahlwan. This is Gregor. You're doing well so far. Once you're finished, if you have the required items for the contract, bring them to these coordinates. Ships will be waiting to receive them. Pleasure doing business with you." Once done, Specter turned and entered hyperspace.
"Sir? Trouble in that cargo bay."
"Drat!" The captain of the MC-80 slumped in his chair.
"What's wrong sir?"
"We just lost three very helpful items. In parcel 8 was the schematics and a tested prototype of an advanced Mag-Pulse torpedo. Works like an ion cannon, but it also does some hull damage since it's a torpedo. In parcel 9 were the plans for a powerful combat droid. If delivered to Ord Pardron, we could've manufactured both those items and seriously beefed up the defenses."
"What about parcel 10, sir?" The captain sighed. "Base computer plans. They were supposed to upgrade the computer systems at Ord Pardron garrison with these. They're not top of the line, but they are experimental in that the design is a unique Mon Cal one that might've proved superior to most computers." The captain shook his head. "Well, we'd best get through this battle. I've got the plans for all three items on another computer in my quarters. If we're captured, maybe I can sneak them out. But let's try not to get captured."
A communications panel officer on the Scythe was almost set to get off duty, when he suddenly realized he had an incoming message. He read the message and alerted his superior. His superior sent it to Captain Regius, who read it and immediately sent a message to Admiral Bismarck under a top priority heading. When asked about the message while off duty, the comm. officer was able to repeat it word for word, mostly because it was short and had caught his attention.
"Well, that tears it." Han muttered as the Freedom Dream emerged from hyperspace facing an Imperial Star destroyer and three system patrol craft. "Hope you guys brought some utility gloves. Mining has a way of putting calluses on top of calluses."
Rhadlikk placed his hand on Han's shoulder. "Do not be overly anxious. They may only be looking for a certain type of vessel, or even one particular ship. We may only be queried and allowed to pass."
Hawk muttered something barely audible and Nathan repeated his partner's words for all to hear. "You said it Hawk. I say we should have a flight heading all set just in case they take too long with their 'query.' It wouldn't do to end up mining spice for His Imperial Travesty."
Han blinked as he turned to acknowledge Nathan. "If we make it out of this run alive and free from the mines of Balfess, I think you'll get along just fine using the slang of Elrood. It suits you."
Just then the com pinged, informing the crew of the Freedom Dream
that they had been queried by the Imperial Star Destroyer
Starfire.
~Freedom Dream, we have you on our
scopes. You are transporting supplies to the penal colony on Derilyn,
is that right?~
Han keyed the com, "That is correct, Starfire. Medical supplies and foodstuffs for the miners."
~Cute, Freedom Dream. Just mind your manners or you could be taking up mining as well. Hold your position while we run your permits.~
Han turned to Rhadlikk. "Hope this works. I may hold a grudge if I don't ever see my wife and kids again."
"Solo, I have coordinates for a jump waiting for you," Hawk said. "I think if they don't give you some response in about fifteen seconds you should log the numbers and split."
"NO!" Rhadlikk shouted. "We cannot run when we are so close! We must be successful!"
"Rhadlikk, calm down pal," Han said in the most soothing tones he could manage. "I've been in some tight situations bef..."
~Freedom Dream, you are clear to proceed to Derilyn. Make sure you are acknowledged by the port authority there before attempting to dock or you will be blown from orbit in short order.~
Han threw a sideways grin at the Meris revolutionary. "I knew it would work."
An Alliance Starfighter Carrier and two Rebel Assault Frigates erupted from the shroud of hyperspace like scavenging birds descending on carrion as they set upon the forces that had attacked the Rebel convoy. The carrier released its entire complement of starfighters, which included a full squadron of E-Wings, 6 A-Wings, and 6 B-Wings. The B-Wings immediately engaged the Corellian Corvette as the A-Wings and E-Wings began to trade fire with the mercenary X-Wings.
An officer on the bridge of the Starfighter carrier established contact with the MC80. "Queen of Liberty, this is Captain Scarpitul on board the Total Vigilance. Captain Dentale, you look as though you could use some help."
~Mattes Scarpitul, I've never been so glad to hear your voice in my life. Would your boys mind helping my boys with these...... Ya know, I don't think these are Imperials, unless the Imps are using X-Wings now.~
"Copy that, Garrick," Captain Mattes Scarpitul acknowledged. "Let's see if these mercenaries like to deal with the people who made that fighter design work."
"Sir! Tac reports three new ships have just exited hyperspace. Two Assault frigates and one carrier. The Carrier is launching fighters. Do you have orders sir?"
"Captain, instruct Manticore and Hell Hound Squadrons to engage the enemy fighters, Virulence is to immediately engage the assault frigates, she should be
more than enough to deal with them. Valourous is to engage the carrier, send half our TIE's to assist. Those Carriers are lightly armed if I recall correctly. What reports have you
received from Colonel Seljik?"
"Colonel, Seljik reports that he is meeting severe resistance but is making progress towards the environmental controls, and expects to have both the primary and secondary bridges in ten minutes or less..........Sir? Our TIE's are
faring badly against the Rebel fighters I think we should abandon the third Nebulon and send Intrepid and the remaining TIE's to assist against the newcomers."
"I agree Captain, see to it that it is done."
"Aye Sir!" Captain Thorne turned to his duties.
Tayne switched over to finding fighters. The frigates had released X-Wings and A-Wings. He targeted one and pulled behind it.
The A-Wing pulled up sharply but Tayne stayed with it. He fired four times and the fighter's shields went down. He shot once more to destroy it. He picked out another target.
When he glanced at his sensors he noticed the MC80 gravity went down. He shrugged it off and followed his target.
He came in behind and started shooting. The X-Wing pulled up and got behind him and started unloading his lasers into Tayne's shields. Damn, 35% left. Tayne pulled a quick move and got a torpedo lock on the fighter. He pulled the trigger and the X-Wing went down.
Tayne was having fun finally fighting again. But that all changed when two assault frigates and a carrier came out of hyper.
Colonel Fahlwan sat at his command chair observing the progress of the battle. "Captain Thorne commit the reserves to the MC80, I want that ship NOW! Send the prize crew three minutes after you launch the reinforcements. Tell Manticore Squadron to take out those rebel scum fighters. Then bring the Fahlwan's Pride about and engage that dammed Carrier.
"Aye Sir!" Captain Thorne hastened to obey.
#####
Meanwhile, aboard the MC80, Colonel Seljik was pondering what to do about the command crew when his adjutant suggested sending a courier droid to the
bridge. "Yes, I think that'll work. Set the stun grenade, we may be able to ransom
some of these men."
Within moments the mouse was on it's way. A brief flash of light announced the
success of the ploy. and Seljik and his men strode onto the bridge to find a squad of troopers waiting for them on the far side of the command deck. Blaster fire
erupted immediately as Colonel Seljik's men became surrounded. the Colonel noticed that four more squads were forming up behind him and his men as the survivors of the bridge crew had apparently shut down control of the ship from the bridge, turning everything over to the backup bridge in another section of the craft.<
Captain Scarpitul had adjusted rather well, and gave himself a few seconds to praise himself before continuing to bark orders. The MC80 was expected at Ord Pardron within the next day, and since he had just come from there, he knew how desperately that base needed reinforcements. "Com, send word to Captain Dantale to regroup his ships and pull them closer to ours. Have our combined fighter coverage shake the mercenary X-wings off his hide."
~Copy that Total Vigilance.~ the com officer on board Queen of Liberty replied. ~Our fighters are now yours to coordinate. Nebulon B Sun Rage is having some trouble. The captain has ordered all hands to abandon the craft.~
Captain Scarpitul jumped to the com board. "That's a negative Sun Rage. My E-Wing squadron and Assault Frigate Flashpoint are coming to your aid. Pump all available energy to your shields." Mattes Scarpitul was too late, as the Nebulon B Frigate burst into a huge ball of gas, fire and molten metal. The E-Wing squadron and Flashpoint were now in a better positions to engage the mercenary units.
The B-Wings had made things incredibly rough for the mercenary Corvette,
disabling all of its weaponry and shutting the engines down to 30%
efficiency. The shields of the Corvette had failed, and the hull was
not going to take much more of a beating.
Joined by the two remaining Nebulon B Frigates, The Total
Vigilance was more of a problem for the Interdictor cruiser than its
commander had probably thought. The combined weaponry of the three
ships brutally played across the hull of the ship, causing systems to
malfunction and shields to cut out.
The starfighters started out unevenly matched in favor of the
mercenaries, and the YT-1300 flying with the mercenary fighters took out
two A-wings before they knew what hit them. Fortunately, those were the
only Rebel casualties for the next couple minutes, as the much more
maneuverable E-Wings gave the Imperial trained X-Wing pilots problems.
The E-Wing pilots knew what the X-wings were capable of, and the
mercenary squadrons lost 5 of their number within just a few seconds of
the engagement.
After those few minutes, however, the mercenaries had been able to get
things together as they took down another A-Wing and two E-Wings.
Other than the Nebulon B that had been destroyed, the MC80 had seen the
worst among the Rebel ships. Its shields were starting to fail and the
portside lateral controls were not working properly. However, buffered
by the arrival of the Rebel Assault frigates, it was able to pull back
away from the Victory Star Destroyer that had been giving it so much
trouble.
"Com, open me a channel to that Victory Star Destroyer. I've got a mind to ask him to withdraw before we both have more casualties than we'd either one of us like to have."
The com officer looked up at Captain Scarpitul. "The channel is open Captain."
"Fahlwan's Pride, this is Captain Mattes Scarpitul of the Rebel
Carrier Cruiser Total Vigilance. Lucky for everyone here that
your Interdictor pulled me out on top of this here party you decided to
throw, or the Alliance would be out more ships than it would like, and
you'd be wanted for more counts of murder and piracy than you'd prob'ly
care to see; unless you like the idea of having the best Rebel Alliance agents and freelance bounty hunters in the galaxy coming after you." Captain Scarpitul looked out the viewport at the VSD and
saw that it had ceased fire for the duration of the transmission.
'Least he's willing to be civil for a moment.'
Scarpitul continued. "Now what I'm offering you now is a chance to call
back your fighters, pull back from these here Alliance vessels and
conduct a full retreat before I have to order my other 12 fighters into
space and follow through with some show stopping tactics. I await your
reply."
MOVE ON TO PART
VII
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